When order is recalled in Room 1530 of Manhattan Criminal Court around 9:30 a.m. ET Monday morning, it will mark the beginning of an event never before seen in American history: a former president tried for alleged crimes.
Flanked by his lawyers, Secret Service agents and key campaign staff, Donald Trump will sit on the left side of the largest courtroom in the 83-year-old building, at a table where countless accused before him.
The case is the first of four criminal prosecutions against Trump to go to trial. He faces charges in two federal cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith in Washington, D.C. and Florida, and in a second case brought by Georgia prosecutors. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, saying the prosecution was part of a plot by his political opponents to prevent him from taking back the White House.
Monday’s proceedings will begin with Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office arguing over some outstanding issues related to the trial rules. Then, the first of more than 500 potential jurors will be escorted into the room. At this point, many will have noticed the extraordinary security arrangements outside and inside the courthouse, as well as the expected protesters for and against Trump. At Trump’s recent civil defamation trial a few blocks away, several prospective jurors looked visibly shocked when they first saw him seated at the defense table.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
Many will be able to see Trump and observe his every reaction as the judge describes the case. The allegations, New York State Judge Juan Merchan is expected to say, “are, in substance, that Donald Trump falsified business records to conceal an agreement with others to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election.” .
He will continue by mentioning the names of two personalities key witnesses in the caseboth of whom Trump considers sworn enemies: his former lawyer Michael Cohen and adult film star Stormy Daniels.
“Specifically, it is alleged that Donald Trump made or caused false business records to conceal the true nature of the payments made to Michael Cohen, characterizing them as payment for legal services rendered pursuant to an engagement contract,” it said. Merchan, according to the trial statement. court records. “(Prosecutors) say that in fact the payments were intended to reimburse Michael Cohen for money he paid to Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, in the weeks leading up to the presidential election, in order to prevent him from publicly revealing details about a past sexual encounter with Donald Trump.
As a criminal defendant, Trump is required to attend proceedings every day of the trial unless he requests a waiver. He will watch Monday, and likely several more days, as his lawyers and prosecutors seek to narrow the pool of potential jurors to just 12, plus a few alternates. Both sides will then begin to present their arguments.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records. He accused Bragg of bringing the case for political purposes. In a letter to members of Congress last year, a lawyer for Bragg countered the accusation, saying that “were brought by citizens of New York, fulfilling their civic duty as members of a grand jury, which found probable cause to accuse Mr. Trump of committing crimes in New York.
Grub5
